“I was dismayed and horror struck that
from time to time children would actually die in our feeding program while on
the compound. They would just die suddenly while in their mother’s arms. THE
SIGNAL FOR THIS WAS THE ABRUPT WAILING OF A MOTHER WHO HAD JUST LOST HER
CHILD.”

The Face of Hunger: Reflections
on a Famine in Ethiopia is a firsthand account of the 1983-1985 famine that hit the country and
left thousands dead. Dr. Byron Conner wrote the book to record the poverty and
despair he witnessed, especially in the town of Gimbie where he managed the
town’s hospital. In the book, Conner also transcribed the efforts of the
international community and various humanitarian organizations and of course
his own transformation. What started as a missionary trip with his family
became as a three-year stay that forever changed their lives as well as the
lives of the community that adopted them.

Conner’s journal takes
us to their very own journey and transformation. From a simple missionary
family traveling to an alien continent, to a group of people that has come to
embraced Africa as their home, absorbing their language, culture, and more
importantly the richness of their existence that is only made bounty by their
appreciation of life despite the daily struggle with hunger and poverty they
have witnessed.

The book offers a
different perspective. The story is from an outsider’s view and through the
eyes of both a missionary and medical person. Dr. Conner did not merely record
the obvious landscape of a land torn by hunger but also provided us with
tangible details on the day-to-day horrors of famine.

The strength of Byron
Conner’s book lies in its straightforwardness and simplicity. It is bereft of
any pretentions and romanticism that oftentimes spoil a memoir. While there
were attempts made to subscribe to usual style of narration, the author settled
comfortably using his own voice, his own phase, and unique structure. Because
Dr. Conner is a medical person, his narrative borders on scientific perspective
and an objective portrayal of how an entire nation, with its different sectors,
comes to grip with the crisis they share. This can be observed through his
detailed transcriptions of the following:The community of Addis Ababa where he and his family stayed for most of their mission

1. The community of Addis Ababa where he and his family stayed for most of their mission

2. His critique on the Marxist Government headed by Mengistu Haile Mariam

3. The efforts of the Ethiopian church workers as well as their limitations

4. His report on Ethiopia’s health care system (the absence of vaccines and medical supplies).

5. His backgrounder on the country’s internal conflicts and his sympathy for the displaced natives

This is on top of Byron
Conner’s every day medical and missionary work not only in one village but also
in communities surrounding Addis Ababa and even in the northern province of
Tigray particularly in Makele. Makele is one of the cities badly hit by famine
and cholera.

Dr. Conner’s vivid
description of what he saw and experienced in Ethiopia is what made the book so
compelling.

The 1983-1985 Crisis in
Ethiopia was one of the biggest human tragedies. It is bigger than Addis Ababa
and certainly more complex than the multitudes of internal conflicts spread
across the African nation. While Dr. Byron Conner’s The Face of Hunger is an
honest account of that particular crisis, most of the chapters dealt with the
medical aspect of the crisis- the disease, the lack of medicines and the
absence of doctors and medical support.

Nevertheless, in that
supposed limitation, Dr. Conner was able to present a different, more morbid
face of hunger. The absence of vaccines and immunization programs is clear
state abandonment. The reality that thousands are literally dying and begging
for medical care is a disturbing metaphor for hunger.

Overall, Dr. Byron Conner’s The Face of Hunger is a very important read for all those who wish to know about the 1983-1985 famine of Ethiopia. While there have been hundreds of published materials that tackled the infamous African crisis, Dr. Byron Conner offers a less arduous journey through his honest and smooth structuring narrative. The Face of Hunger does not attempt to subscribe to the usual dark and grim writing style to an already tragic story.

The Face of Hunger, because it focuses mostly on the author’s medical and missionary work, offers a fresh and somewhat comforting, smooth-sailing examination of what really transpired in the African nation during those three years of famine. Others may fault Mr. Conner for seemingly lacking the “rage” in his reportage of this dark human tragedy but there lies the uniqueness of his narrative. The Face of Hunger, above, all offers hope, triumph over adversity, and celebration of faith, both in humanity and in his own personal virtues.

The Face of Hunger is a book that every missionary should examine. It is a book every person with the desire to understand suffering and wish to embrace hope, should read. ReadersMagnet Book Review recommends this book.